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NASCAR Driver Capsules -- Nov. 15, 2012

ETC.: Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer said, "I've had a couple of weeks to work with Marcos now, and so far I really like what I see. He's determined to run well and win races and anything less is unacceptable. That's the kind of drive and determination that makes a good race car driver. I'm definitely looking forward to 2013 and getting to work with the 9 team more."

HOMESTEAD RECORD: Finished 10th a year ago for his sixth top-10 finish in 13 starts. Finished second in the 2009 event.

LOOKING AHEAD: Burton is glad this "frustrating" season is about to come to a close. "I am ready for this year to end so we can focus our efforts on 2013," said Burton. "I love racing, but it is time to stop so we can restart for 2013. This type of year grinds you down. Having a positive attitude goes a long way, but at the same time you need to be a realist and understand what is going on."

LOOKING BACK: It was a long, long weekend for Burton and the 31 team. He crashed on both Friday and Saturday forcing the team to spend the entire weekend rebuilding race cars. Burton started last because of the two accidents. He rallied to finish 13th. "Just a solid effort from the 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team," said Burton. "We wrecked two cars and for these guys to come back and give this kind of effort was amazing. Just a great rebound and all the credit goes to the crew."

ETC.: Burton believes the future at RCR is going to be a bright one. "I feel really good about what we've done structurally for 2013 compared to 2012," said Burton, "We have a better plan and the people in correct roles who can execute the plan. I'm very encouraged about everything we have going on at RCR."

1 JAMIE MCMURRAY, Chevrolet

Team: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

WHERE HE STANDS: 20th, 247 points out of 13th place.

HOMESTEAD RECORD: Three top-10 finishes in 10 starts. Set the qualifying record in 2003 with a lap of 181.11 miles per hour.

LOOKING AHEAD: McMurray said, "It's hard to believe that we are down to the final race of the season. I am looking forward to the Homestead-Miami race; I really enjoy racing there since they reconfigured the track. Hopefully we can finish out the season strong with a good run in our Bass Pro Shops Chevy."

LOOKING BACK: McMurray finished 23rd at Phoenix. "We fought with the balance of the Bass Pro Shops/Allstate Chevy all day," said McMurray. "The guys did a great job in the pits, but the long green flags runs didn't play into our strategy. We'll continue working hard as we head to the final race of the season."

ETC: McMurray has only three top-10 finishes this season. That is one less than 2011 – a year that car owner Chip Ganassi called "pathetic." But McMurray believes "all the changes we have made this year have been good ones and we have high hopes for the new car we will be running in 2013."

43 ARIC ALMIROLA, Ford

Team: Richard Petty Motorsports

WHERE HE STANDS: 21st, 260 points out of 13th place.

HOMESTEAD RECORD: Finished fourth in the 2010 race. He did not compete in last year's event.

LOOKING AHEAD: Almirola said, "I kind of wish the season wasn't ending. We've really hit on some good team chemistry with Todd Parrott (crew chief) and the guys since we started working together two months ago and the results have been showing on track. We've had some fast cars and really good runs and we'll look to do even better at Homestead, maybe even with a win."

LOOKING BACK: Despite being involved in the incident triggered when Jeff Gordon slammed into Clint Bowyer on purpose, Almirola was able to limp across the finish line in 16th place. "We started out really, really good and then took two tires on one of those stops (about midway in the race) and started going backwards," said Almirola. "Our car never handled the same after that. Still, we were running good when the 24 wrecked the 15."

ETC.: Parrott points out "we've had some good results on the mile-and-a-half's with Aric. So I think we can end the season with a bang. Homestead is a good track for Aric. It's fast with multiple grooves and you can run all over the place. And the banking varies for each groove, so you can run different lines and see where your car runs best."